Our Take: Oscar Peterson at 100

Kim Kelley — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 13:40:01 +0000

Oscar Peterson celebrates his Centennial Birthday in 2025. The Canadian born jazz pianist is considered one of the top pianists of all time by most fans and the greatest of all time by many. I own virtually every recording Oscar Peterson made. At work, often, I will start playing his music from the time I arrive until late in the afternoon. On those days, I do not achieve much, but I am somewhat more enjoyable to be around. In life, there are choices.

Peterson won 8 GRAMMY® Awards and was heralded by his peers as the “Maharaja of the Keyboard,” a name bestowed upon him by Duke Ellington. The number of awards and honors he earned are countless and his days with Ray Brown and Herb Ellis are considered by many to be the height of his career and jazz royalty.

Often compared to Art Tatum, Peterson was intimidated by Tatum’s skills. He would walk away when folks made the comparison even when done so as the ultimate compliment. Eventually they would become good friends though Peterson would seldom perform in Tatum’s presence.

My admiration of Peterson is a simple person’s love of music, particularly the piano. His sound was complex, but you can hear each note. As UCLA Bruin Basketball coach John Wooden would have said, Peterson was quick, but not in a hurry. Not sure how I decided to use an NCAA basketball coach quote. It must have something to do with March Madness!

When I hear the name Oscar Peterson, besides longing to hear him play, two thoughts come to mind. The first was an experience many years ago. I was visiting the home of Arturo Sandoval for the purpose of inviting him to be part of a cruise program. Upon entering his house, the first item I saw was the largest Bosendorfer piano I have ever seen. Accompanying me on the visit was Dane Butcher, our first Cruise Director. Innocently, Dane asked who in the Sandoval house played piano? Arturo announced that the piano in question was a gift from Oscar Peterson as a “thank you” for some musical advice. Then, Arturo proceeded to play the piano for 30 minutes featuring classical music, jazz and pop.

Had that been the end of the story, it would have been a great memory of a great man, a great gift and a great musician. However, upon finishing the piano program, Arturo announced that he was a better piano player than trumpeter. That boast was lost on me. After all, Arturo Sandoval is to the trumpet what Oscar Peterson is to the piano. Not sure why the exclamation bothered me, but it did and still does. When a great man fails to accept his skills in a particular field and lauds his skill in the field of another, it does not seem right.

The second thought upon hearing his name is to watch and listened to Benny Green talk about his mentor, Oscar Peterson. Benny is one of my favorite pianists. His sound is so distinctive. He can make the piano do things that others cannot, or it seems that way. When Benny feels joy, he can fill a room with smiles. Talking about Oscar Peterson puts him in that mood immediately. It is very cool to watch Benny beam with pride when he talks about his relationship with Oscar Peterson.

There is so much more about this great pianist for us to share, but that will have to wait for another edition of Our Take or Jazz Notes. As you know, I write most of the articles in both publications, but Lee Mergner, the famous former publisher and editor of Jazz Times, is a major contributor. He knows more about jazz than any person I know. Just like Benny Green drafting off the power of Oscar Peterson, I try to garner whatever I can from Lee.

As for Lee, I would admire him more if he were not a Phillies fan. Find me one nice Phillies fan in uniform and I will show you a person who is wearing their hat because they lost a bet.

By Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Chris Botti at Sea, Christian McBride’s World at Sea, Journey of Jazz, Homecoming: The Cruise and Top Shelf Country Cruise. Feel free to express your views or pose questions to him at michael@scecruises.com.

Three Cohens’ Interaction

The 3 Cohens (Anat, Avishai and Yuvall Cohen) reunited for their fifth album together, the appropriately named Interaction, recorded from a collaborative concert with Germany’s lauded WDR Big Band. The program showcased tailored arrangements by producer Oded Lev-Ari of compositions by himself and each member of The 3 Cohens, as well as fresh takes on Gerry Mulligan’s “Festive Minor” and the Louis Armstrong hit “Tiger Rag,” two longtime family favorites for the Cohens.

“We can talk without talking,” Anat said about the threesome’s sibling rapport. “Often, we don’t even have to look at each other onstage. We have such a history together that we feel each other through the music.”

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Gerald Clayton’s “Tuesday Happenings” Series at Sam First

The Los Angeles jazz club Sam First, located near the LAX Airport, presents a weekly series called “Tuesday Happenings,” curated and hosted by Gerald Clayton. Each week a house band performs one set at 7:30pm followed by a jam session from 9:30 to 11pm.

“I was inspired by all of the great jam sessions that I learned so much from coming up in the music, and I felt that it would be good to give back to the community and offer a gathering place for hungry young musicians to work on their craft and get their butt kicked on that stage and come back again and try again,” Gerald explained. “Right now, there are so many great musicians in LA, but it’s such a spread-out city that it’s not automatic that we all get to see each other or get together and play. You have to be a bit more proactive to get that sense of community. I’ve enjoyed that it’s become a great hang.”

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Stateroom Availability

Having been at sea for four weeks, we thought it best to share what is new with respect to our next 9 cruise programs and to highlight special offers for select programs.

Cruise Programs ’25

Journey of Jazz ’25

Over 86% Reserved. Balcony Staterooms Available – Special Pricing for Ocean View and Inside Staterooms (Lowest Price Ever – Promo Code: JOURNEY)

Cruise Programs ’26

Homecoming: The Cruise	Open Booking Now; For Special Prices on Staterooms, use Promo Code: HTC
Christian McBride’s World at Sea ’26	Open Booking Now; For Special Prices for Ocean View and Inside Staterooms, use Promo Code: CMW
The Jazz Cruise ’26	Open Booking Now
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.1	96% Reserved – Open Booking Now
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.2	Fully Reserved
Top Shelf Country Cruise	Full Lineup and Final Itinerary Announcement Monday Open Booking Now
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.3	76% Reserved – Open Booking Now
Botti at Sea ’26	Open Booking Now

Hot Offers

Ocean View and Inside Staterooms are available on Journey of Jazz ’25. You can reserve an Inside Stateroom on the cruise for under $2,000/person and there are special prices for Ocean View staterooms. Reservations may be completed online or by calling the office and are based upon double occupancy, available for new reservations only and non-commissionable. Further, this discount may not be combined with any other offer (Promo Code: JOURNEY).

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